Don't Tread on Me!

My choices, moral standards, and rights are not open to debate, nor are they subject to a democratic vote by others. Society's laws and moral dictates do not determine my values and decision making processes, as they are external to me—I am an internal monarchy, and I alone choose what I will and will not believe, what I will and will not respect, and what I will and will not act upon. When people, institutions, and societal norms attempt to trespass against my personal space and/or undermine my values, it is my moral prerogative to take actionable steps to enforce my boundaries and rights. As the American revolutionaries proclaimed during their War of Independence, "don't tread on me"—and they were deadly serious about it too.